Lets clear things: How much screen on time are you getting on a charge?

[Adranalyne]

I really don't get how there can be such a huge swing between users. Here is my VZ so far today. Everyday since the update I have been getting 5-6 hours sot. The only thing that I have turned off is WiFi scanning. Everything else is right out of the box. I do FDR after all system updates. I have no lag, it's as smooth as my iPhone 6. For the record, I didn't want a Samsung but in my opinion they nailed this one.

Posted via the Android Central App

I honestly have no idea. It's this kind of stuff from people, this one being from Phil, that drives me nuts:

"There won't be some magic cure-all for Galaxy S6 battery life. It is what it is. Be ready to charge at some point during the day."

I couldn't disagree more. This phone can last you through the day and has for me everyday I've had it. I can push it 15-17 hours with 5 hours of screen time if I want to. The only people not being able to do that right now are people affected by cell standby or Google services issues.

So no, Phil, it isn't what it is. There's room for improvement here and when Google and Samsung work to get 5.1 or 5.1.1 out to this device, it could be a huge difference for those not seeing solid battery life. For those of us that are, hopefully it gets even better.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

 

[droidguy1964]

I honestly have no idea. It's this kind of stuff from people, this one being from Phil, that drives me nuts:

"There won't be some magic cure-all for Galaxy S6 battery life. It is what it is. Be ready to charge at some point during the day."

I couldn't disagree more. This phone can last you through the day and has for me everyday I've had it. I can push it 15-17 hours with 5 hours of screen time if I want to. The only people not being able to do that right now are people affected by cell standby or Google services issues.

So no, Phil, it isn't what it is. There's room for improvement here and when Google and Samsung work to get 5.1 or 5.1.1 out to this device, it could be a huge difference for those not seeing solid battery life. For those of us that are, hopefully it gets even better.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

I hear ya but take that comment with a grain of salt. I thought my iPhone 6 was really good on battery and had a great camera. The S6 has a better battery and better camera.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Aquila]

We really need a mod to step in and clean up all of these battery threads....

Posted via the Android Central App

Posting like this doesn't always get attention - we need someone to hit the report button.

 

[Adranalyne]

To further punctuate my point.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

 

[Aquila]

The real controversial issue is that there is no issue with battery life.

I obviously cannot comment on whether or not the blog editors are reading your posts - but there seem to be many assumptions about motivations being stated as fact here. I would have a very difficult time believing that there is an agenda against the device - and we have to keep in mind that the blog articles and podcasts are not just aimed at "power users", but also at mainstream consumers who may not be as willing to experiment and research troubleshooting solutions to devices that they expect to "just work" out of the box. Reviews and test drives often begin with the disclaimer of using pre-release software and a week into the device on release softare, battery life is still a major concern for those that are not yet aware of mitigation strategies and/or haven't received specific updates, have different use cases (must use wifi calling, etc), etc. If you have productive ideas about how to improve battery life for those still impacted, those are obviously welcomed and appreciated.

 

[warpdrive]

All I want acknowledged, regardless of whether you're getting hit with the Lollipop cell standby/Google services bugs or not, is that the S6 battery life is pretty solid when you grade an unaffected device. Because it is. It's been proven with numerous screenshots, benchmarks from reputable sites like Anandtech, and anecdotal reviews from other reputable sites.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time. But I feel after looking at easy too many screen shots is that all of phones is effected by lollypop and that causes cell standby to show up on many if not most devices if most of the strings are left on. Cell standby isn't the curse but the result of the bugs in lollypop that cause this to show up in the default battery monitor.

The thing is that no matter where it is on your list (the top or way down at the bottom of the list where you can't see it) it is still there. And if features are left turned on everyone is effected. But here is the key point I'm trying to make...
Even if you see high cell standby percentage or times listed, for most you won't be greatly effected by battery life. It just means that your radios are being more used and radios today don't use that much battery in general.

What you won't see is that cell Standby alone killing your battery. You may still see it and have bad radio firmware for where you live, but it's the non optimized radio firmware killing your battery not cell standby. Having a phone like on T-Mobile and getting 2 or 3 hour of SoT doesn't mean that cell standby is the problem, but poorly optimized software or firmware added into Touchwiz is the far more likely culprit with such battery woes on top of any bugs from lollypop.

I'm lucky, until the Samsung push app and the Google app was updated I literally had no bugs that I could find on my device. Afterwards I lost the "Ok Google" feature. But other than that I'm bug free as far as I can tell. But I'm still effected by lollypop and I think everyone is. It's now just do you have a broken phone or a phone not fully optimized for your county that is effecting your battery life? Or are you getting good to great battery life regardless that you might see cell standby?

Cell standby alone is not the problem. Having bluetooth turned on but not used all day could be causing higher cell standby readings. This means nothing if your getting great battery life. So in my opinion just saying the cell standby bug or something similar is not helpful to say. A better way of saying it is if you are greatly effected by lollypop you might see high cell standby.
One way causes more controversy, the other way promotes a healthy discussion on cause and effect. We already have our favorite Android site trying hard to stir the pot, we don't have to help them accomplish their goals. They have already done enough damage to mess up this forum by their comments on the podcast. It's why this and other threads got started.

So when people complain that they don't want a device that needs to be crippled. Don't argue with them. Just do what I do and post up some screen shots with everything turned on and with high SoT. Just watch how fast they go into denial of your results or freak out wondering how you get great results when the staff at this site says that you can't be. No need to even offer help, just post the results and let them continue to wonder.

The best advice you gave in months was to me when I was also concerned about battery life. You said just try the device for 14 days and return it if I don't like it. I'm so glad that I took your advice because now I have great device. A device that clearly shows what a working phone can do on such a tiny battery. I'm not yet ready to say that it is better than last year's phones battery wise. But I'm close to saying that based on my usage.

Again, there really isn't any battery issue here. The only issue is what the AC staff is trying to make from the fud that they are producing. Let's show them that or fellow forum members are better than that and help defuse the controversy not help instigate the flames.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Aquila]

Again, there really isn't any battery issue here. The only issue is what the AC staff is trying to make from the fud that they are producing. Let's show them that or fellow forum members are better than that and help defuse the controversy not help instigate the flames.

This is a very strange statement, as I indicated previously. The AC staff has traditionally been renowned for ignoring or actively working to quell FUD, clickbait, misinformation, etc. from other blogs - going out of their way to not report rumors without substantiation and addressing sites that get this wrong in social media, etc. My first recommendation to you, if you're interested in resolving your disagreement with them, is to address it with them. Contact | Android Central As I indicated before, I have no idea if they have or are going to read this thread. You seem to be more than stating your experiences differ from theirs, or even stating that you believe they're mistaken. You're making a positive claim about their motivations being untoward on this device, and I believe that, as with any extreme positive claim, you either need to check your logic or substantiate your claim with evidence.

TLR, there is a very good reason I spend a lot of time here rather than at the Verge, or Engadget, Android Police, etc, etc and it has to do with the integrity of the folks who serve as the face of the site. Based on my experiences, I would be shocked if the editors were being dishonest or even disingenuous with what they have shared about their experiences with devices, etc.

 

[droidguy1964]

I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time. But I feel after looking at easy too many screen shots is that all of phones is effected by lollypop and that causes cell standby to show up on many if not most devices if most of the strings are left on. Cell standby isn't the curse but the result of the bugs in lollypop that cause this to show up in the default battery monitor.

The thing is that no matter where it is on your list (the top or way down at the bottom of the list where you can't see it) it is still there. And if features are left turned on everyone is effected. But here is the key point I'm trying to make...
Even if you see high cell standby percentage or times listed, for most you won't be greatly effected by battery life. It just means that your radios are being more used and radios today don't use that much battery in general.

What you won't see is that cell Standby alone killing your battery. You may still see it and have bad radio firmware for where you live, but it's the non optimized radio firmware killing your battery not cell standby. Having a phone like on T-Mobile and getting 2 or 3 hour of SoT doesn't mean that cell standby is the problem, but poorly optimized software or firmware added into Touchwiz is the far more likely culprit with such battery woes on top of any bugs from lollypop.

I'm lucky, until the Samsung push app and the Google app was updated I literally had no bugs that I could find on my device. Afterwards I lost the "Ok Google" feature. But other than that I'm bug free as far as I can tell. But I'm still effected by lollypop and I think everyone is. It's now just do you have a broken phone or a phone not fully optimized for your county that is effecting your battery life? Or are you getting good to great battery life regardless that you might see cell standby?

Cell standby alone is not the problem. Having bluetooth turned on but not used all day could be causing higher cell standby readings. This means nothing if your getting great battery life. So in my opinion just saying the cell standby bug or something similar is not helpful to say. A better way of saying it is if you are greatly effected by lollypop you might see high cell standby.
One way causes more controversy, the other way promotes a healthy discussion on cause and effect. We already have our favorite Android site trying hard to stir the pot, we don't have to help them accomplish their goals. They have already done enough damage to mess up this forum by their comments on the podcast. It's why this and other threads got started.

So when people complain that they don't want a device that needs to be crippled. Don't argue with them. Just do what I do and post up some screen shots with everything turned on and with high SoT. Just watch how fast they go into denial of your results or freak out wondering how you get great results when the staff at this site says that you can't be. No need to even offer help, just post the results and let them continue to wonder.

The best advice you gave in months was to me when I was also concerned about battery life. You said just try the device die 14 days and return it if I don't like it. I'm so glad that I took your advice because now I have great device. A device that clearly shows what a working phone can do on such a tiny battery. I'm not yet ready to say that it is better than last year's phones battery wise. But I'm close to saying that based on my usage.

Again, there really isn't any battery issue here. The only issue is what the AC staff is trying to make from the fud that they are producing. Let's show them that or fellow forum members are better than that and help defuse the controversy not help instigate the flames.

Posted via the Android Central App

Nice post. Agree with all of your points! Especially now that I am approaching 6 sot with 25% left. My s6 leaves my iPhone 6 in the dust in every catagory.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Phil Nickinson]

The best advice you gave in months was to me when I was also concerned about battery life. You said just try the device for 14 days and return it if I don't like it. I'm so glad that I took your advice because now I have great device. A device that clearly shows what a working phone can do on such a tiny battery. I'm not yet ready to say that it is better than last year's phones battery wise. But I'm close to saying that based on my usage.

You've got that part perfect, I think. Everyone's usage is going to be different. (That's why I generally don't answer when someone asks how reception is where I live, or whether I think a phone has a good radio. Unless you're standing right next to me, our experiences will be different.) So use the phone. If it's not working out for you, return it!

Again, there really isn't any battery issue here. The only issue is what the AC staff is trying to make from the fud that they are producing. Let's show them that or fellow forum members are better than that and help defuse the controversy not help instigate the flames.

And this is where you lose me. I have no idea how (or why) you think anyone here is "producing" FUD. We're telling what we're seeing. And if you don't agree with our conclusions because you're seeing something different, then so be it!

I don't see any of the lag that Andrew was talking about in his review. But that doesn't mean I think he's lying or trying to mislead anyone. (And if I were going to say as such, I sure as hell would provide my own evidence to the contrary.)

I've been using the GS6 as my daily driver for the better part of three weeks now. I have to charge at some point during the day. Period. If you get better use out of it than I do, great! Preach it in these forums! But let's remember that everyone will have different experiences, and we should maybe have a little respect for those different experiences.

 

[warpdrive]

This is a very strange statement, as I indicated previously. The AC staff has traditionally been renowned for ignoring or actively working to quell FUD, clickbait, misinformation, etc. from other blogs - going out of their way to not report rumors without substantiation and addressing sites that get this wrong in social media, etc. My first recommendation to you, if you're interested in resolving your disagreement with them, is to address it with them. Contact | Android Central As I indicated before, I have no idea if they have or are going to read this thread. You seem to be more than stating your experiences differ from theirs, or even stating that you believe they're mistaken. You're making a positive claim about their motivations being untoward on this device, and I believe that, as with any extreme positive claim, you either need to check your logic or substantiate your claim with evidence.

TLR, there is a very good reason I spend a lot of time here rather than at the Verge, or Engadget, Android Police, etc, etc and it has to do with the integrity of the folks who serve as the face of the site. Based on my experiences, I would be shocked if the editors were being dishonest or even disingenuous with what they have shared about their experiences with devices, etc.

I was getting to your reply next, sorry for the delay....life issues.

I'll keep it simple and straightforward to your issues of my claims. When it comes to my battery tests my first and foremost goal is to replicate just what a typical consumer will get right out of the box as you put it. In other words, everything on and even turning on a feature or two more that if anything will only help kill battery life. So when my results with my usage and testing methods that I posted clearly show not only 100% difference in battery life as compared to Andrew and in many cases 100% better battery life than say users that have a phone on T-Mobile (yes, Andrew tested using a T-Mobile device), then I have a right and commitment to the typical consumer to say yeah, Andrew's results are based on the device he used and is NOT what the consumer worldwide is getting absolutely based on mine and other user results posted here in this forum (as long as you are not on T-Mobile).

If anything, my tests stress the battery hard yet my settings are all turned on and at full max. But I'm not the only one who is showing such great results. Countless others are too. So many others that when Andrew says that the only way you can get good battery life with the S6 is sitting on your desk not doing anything, yeah I'm gonna call him out on this. Based on his phone, a T-Mobile phone, a phone that has so far had problems with battery life while others typically don't, I could understand his words and thoughts. But he is not saying only T-Mobile have such issues by making such a statement. He is lumping All S6 phones with it with that statement. And as much as he may have switched to the m9 as of late, I doubt that he is unaware that others not on T-Mobile are doing great when it comes to battery life. It's so well known by now that it's silly.

I have much respect for Andrew, Phil and the rest of the bloggers. It's why I'm a big fan of this site and a long time member. But please don't talk to me about the staff trying to squash fud or misinformation. While I don't hold a grudge, I as a huge HTC fan was here for the S4 vs m7 controversy started and instigated by staff. I was also one of 2 key members that were pointed out as someone to discredit to help further spread misinformation on the camera on the m7 and my training for jumping ship to Samsung with the S4. So while this place has cleaned up and the vast majority of abusive trolls are gone. Once again, snide remarks are made not only by Andrew but by Phil leading the way not against an issue with a T-Mobile device but making claims that are unsubstantiated on all S6 phones as if their statements are factual in nature.

With all due respect, you are barking up the wrong tree. I'm not the problem, I'm just pointing out the reasons why there is even a controversy at all on battery life.

I'll say it like this. You ask for proof of my statements so I'll list my battery results in a moment in my next reply. I'll also back off with any derogatory remarks toward the bloggers and staff for the next week. But if in the next week staff makes unsubstantiated remarks on battery life, then after the week is up I'll call them out on it again and once again show my proof.

Pics and testing methods incoming in my next reply. Again, sorry for the delay, you were never bering ignored.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Brian Delaney]

Last night at 25% remaining , I was at 6 1/2 hrs SOT with Web browsing, streaming a few podcasts , fb

Location off , WiFi off, 50% screen brightness

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[warpdrive]

You've got that part perfect, I think. Everyone's usage is going to be different. (That's why I generally don't answer when someone asks how reception is where I live, or whether I think a phone has a good radio. Unless you're standing right next to me, our experiences will be different.) So use the phone. If it's not working out for you, return it!



And this is where you lose me. I have no idea how (or why) you think anyone here is "producing" FUD. We're telling what we're seeing. And if you don't agree with our conclusions because you're seeing something different, then so be it!

I don't see any of the lag that Andrew was talking about in his review. But that doesn't mean I think he's lying or trying to mislead anyone. (And if I were going to say as such, I sure as hell would provide my own evidence to the contrary.)

I've been using the GS6 as my daily driver for the better part of three weeks now. I have to charge at some point during the day. Period. If you get better use out of it than I do, great! Preach it in these forums! But let's remember that everyone will have different experiences, and we should maybe have a little respect for those different experiences.

My screen shots are all over this forum but I'm reposting them right now. I fully agree with you, everyone's results will be different. And in no way calling Andrew a lier. But his results are his results. They are not the norm. They are the exception not the rule. But I digress and must post my results Phil. With much respect, you'll see I'm quite aggressive with my testing and with all the features turned on too.

Incoming results once on Tapatalk.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Adranalyne]

You've got that part perfect, I think. Everyone's usage is going to be different. (That's why I generally don't answer when someone asks how reception is where I live, or whether I think a phone has a good radio. Unless you're standing right next to me, our experiences will be different.) So use the phone. If it's not working out for you, return it!



And this is where you lose me. I have no idea how (or why) you think anyone here is "producing" FUD. We're telling what we're seeing. And if you don't agree with our conclusions because you're seeing something different, then so be it!

I don't see any of the lag that Andrew was talking about in his review. But that doesn't mean I think he's lying or trying to mislead anyone. (And if I were going to say as such, I sure as hell would provide my own evidence to the contrary.)

I've been using the GS6 as my daily driver for the better part of three weeks now. I have to charge at some point during the day. Period. If you get better use out of it than I do, great! Preach it in these forums! But let's remember that everyone will have different experiences, and we should maybe have a little respect for those different experiences.

No matter what device we're talking about, everyone's mileage may vary. It's been that way since the beginning. What we have here with the GS6, though, is a rather peculiar position where there's a few bugs in Lollipop that are causing some serious battery drain, but this type of thing isn't exclusive to this device only.

As a result, you've got some serious discrepancies in battery performance across the board. You seem to have a hard time making it through the day. Andrew was getting roughly 2-3 hours on screen and 12-13 hours overall. I'd have to imagine that cell standby or Google services are playing a part here, but maybe not.

All I can say is that there's a much higher ceiling for the battery life on this phone than I believe you're giving it credit for. While their may not be a cure-all, as I think some people expect this to be Note 4-esque with a 2550/2600 mah battery, an update to 5.1 or 5.1.1 could eliminate these current issues and really improve battery life for a lot of people. When it's all said and done, this device can perform just as well or better than the S5, something that's pretty impressive given the decrease in battery size.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

 

[Aquila]

I was getting to your reply next, sorry for the delay....life issues.

I'll keep it simple and straightforward to your issues of my claims. When it comes to my battery tests my first and foremost goal is to replicate just what a typical consumer will get right out of the box as you put it. In other words, everything on and even turning on a feature or two more that if anything will only help kill battery life. So when my results with my usage and testing methods that I posted clearly show not only 100% difference in battery life as compared to Andrew and in many cases 100% better battery life than say users that have a phone on T-Mobile (yes, Andrew tested using a T-Mobile device), then I have a right and commitment to the typical consumer to say yeah, Andrew's results are based on the device he used and is NOT what the consumer worldwide is getting absolutely based on mine and other user results posted here in this forum (as long as you are not on T-Mobile).

If anything, my tests stress the battery hard yet my settings are all turned on and at full max. But I'm not the only one who is showing such great results. Countless others are too. So many others that when Andrew says that the only way you can get good battery life with the S6 is sitting on your desk not doing anything, yeah I'm gonna call him out on this. Based on his phone, a T-Mobile phone, a phone that has so far had problems with battery life while others typically don't, I could understand his words and thoughts. But he is not saying only T-Mobile have such issues by making such a statement. He is lumping All S6 phones with it with that statement. And as much as he may have switched to the m9 as of late, I doubt that he is unaware that others not on T-Mobile are doing great when it comes to battery life. It's so well known by now that it's silly.

I have much respect for Andrew, Phil and the rest of the bloggers. It's why I'm a big fan of this site and a long time member. But please don't talk to me about the staff trying to squash fud or misinformation. While I don't hold a grudge, I as a huge HTC fan was here for the S4 vs m7 controversy started and instigated by staff. I was also one of 2 key members that were pointed out as someone to discredit to help further spread misinformation on the camera on the m7 and my training for jumping ship to Samsung with the S4. So while this place has cleaned up and the vast majority of abusive trolls are gone. Once again, snide remarks are made not only by Andrew but by Phil leading the way not against an issue with a T-Mobile device but making claims that are unsubstantiated on all S6 phones as if their statements are factual in nature.

With all due respect, you are barking up the wrong tree. I'm not the problem, I'm just pointing out the reasons why there is even a controversy at all on battery life.

I'll say it like this. You ask for proof of my statements so I'll list my battery results in a moment in my next reply. I'll also back off with any derogatory remarks toward the bloggers and staff for the next week. But if in the next week staff makes unsubstantiated remarks on battery life, then after the week is up I'll call them out on it again and once again show my proof.

Pics and testing methods incoming in my next reply. Again, sorry for the delay, you were never bering ignored.

Posted via the Android Central App

LoL no need for apologies, I just don't follow the jump and that's cool. I definitely understand being busy and I have a nexus 6, so I'm also used to disproving claims about horrible battery on a device with terrific battery life. I do get your frustration, I just don't agree there's any malice in others describing their experiences. A good example, a friend of mine has a nexus 6 and he can almost never get more than 3 or so hours SoT in 12 hours total while I regularly get more SoT in 24-36 hours on a charge. Different people, different devices, different results. We're good

Nexus 6 Assassin Edition. Android Central Moderator.

 

[droidguy1964]

Would be 7 hours SOT easy. Settings are out of the box stock except WiFi scanning. I get the same results everday. In my eyes the battery life on the s6 is exceptional. It's actually very close to what I was getting with the Turbo. Very close.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[blessedred]

To further punctuate my point.

Posted via Galaxy S6 edge

Screen brightness???

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[warpdrive]

I've tested my phone in two ways. One way with everything turned on, and another with everything on but a few tweaks to add some battery life (such as wifi on but always scanning off). I get an extra hour of SoT and 2 extra hours of standby with the tweaks. Both tests are as follows....

3 hours of gaming (DH5, hearthstone, PBA bowling)
At least 1 hour of YouTube
1 hour of web browsing
Some light texts, email, bla, bla
Everything syncing but social media. Located services turned on with phone tracking services and geotaging on photos and videos.

Tests are stopped and screen shot as close to 20% remaining battery or completed fully and then pics are recorded no matter what the remainder is of battery. Both tests completed before the 20 percentile.

Auto brightness is too dim for me indoors so I set it to 35% or if gaming or watching videos it's at 50% brightness. Outdoors it is always on auto.

There is no way that with my results that anyone can say that with over 6 hours of screen on time and 16 hours of standby with everything turned on is poor battery life on AT&T. Yet Andrew says on the podcast that the S6 is so bad with battery life "that the only way you are going to get good battery life is with your S6 on your desk doing nothing."

I think I deleted my pics with everything turned on and maxed out (example: wifi scanning always). The pics listed are still with everything turned on including location services geotagging pictures and so so, but with wifi always scanning off and no VoLTE (doesn't drain battery anyway) . Otherwise more or less right out of the box experience. My other test will list just one hour less of screen on time and slightly less standby.

Please inform me how my phone only had good battery life of it sits on my desk doing nothing? Please explain how with extreme use my results are showing poor battery life. I'm deeply confused by such statements on the podcast.

Beemed to you with the GS6

 

[Phil Nickinson]

Please inform me how my phone only had good battery life of it sits on my desk doing nothing? Please explain how with extreme use my results are showing poor battery life. I'm deeply confused by such statements on the podcast.

Got me. We weren't talking about your phone. I can only talk about my experiences. Maybe I just use my phone all wrong. Personally, I couldn't get anywhere near that SOT.

 

[warpdrive]

Got me. We weren't talking about your phone. I can only talk about my experiences. Maybe I just use my phone all wrong. Personally, I couldn't get anywhere near that SOT.

Lol, that's why I love you Phil. No you are not using your phone wrong. But could it be that on T-Mobile and only T-Mobile the results will be so drastically different from ALL the others around the world?
I'm convinced that with results you are seeing in just this thread alone shows that if you are not using a T-Mobile device then your results can be as much as 100% better than on T-Mobile when it comes to battery life. This is not your fault or problem. But please don't lump all S6 devices when it comes to battery life with a T-Mobile device. It's not like we are talking about a 10 or 20 percent difference in battery life here. We are talking about a 100% increase in battery life as compared to reports from Andrew.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[mrgiven]

I thought the whole point of a forum was discussion and interaction....but every time I read a thread to see what someone else's experience is I see the same people complaining and whining about there being, gasp, threads on a forum!! Imagine a forum with no threads....you'd have to imagine it because one doesn't exist!

To the point of this thread...I got over 5hrs sot yesterday but today hasn't been quite so good and I had to charge midday. Before yesterday I hadn't got more than 3hrs on a single charge.